Sudan frees 57 victims of human trafficking

Sudanese security has captured 4 human traffickers as they were preparing to take 57 foreign nationals towards the Libyan border.

Sudan Media Center (SMC) Sunday said the victims were hidden at a house in East Nile locality, east of Khartoum, pointing that the police is still searching for 3 other traffickers.

It added the initial legal action was taken against the human traffickers.

Sudan is considered a country of origin and transit for illegal migration and human trafficking. Thousands of people from Eritrea and Ethiopia are monthly crossing the border into the Sudanese territories on their way to Europe through Libya or Egypt.

Last July, the Higher Committee to Combat Human Trafficking said it would develop a national anti-trafficking strategy as well as activating existing laws to counter the phenomenon in accordance with the established international standards.

In January 2014, the Sudanese parliament approved an anti-human trafficking law which punishes those involved with human trafficking with up to 20 years imprisonment.

Also, in 2014, Khartoum hosted a conference on human trafficking in the Horn of Africa, organised by the African Union (AU), the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the Sudanese government.

The East African nation has also forged a strategic partnership with several European countries and the EU to combat illegal migration and human trafficking.